"draining fluid from your legs"

[hellostarshine]

I've heard lots of coaches and athletes use self massage and leg elevation to "drain the fluid" from their legs after a hard workout to speed recovery. What fluid are they talking about? Sorry if this is kinda a dumb question, it's just something that's been in the back of my mind for a while and it's driving me crazy not to know. Googled it and a few sites said this "fluid" was byproducts, but I'm at a loss to know what that means too!
Anyone know
I guess it's not *that* important to find out, but it's been bugging me.

[Dianyla]

I've heard lots of coaches and athletes use self massage and leg elevation to "drain the fluid" from their legs after a hard workout to speed recovery. What fluid are they talking about?

Most edema is an accumulation of lymph fluid, which is usually just the non-cellular component of blood. It's mostly water, with electrolytes and other organic substances in solution. Unlike the circulatory system, which is driven by the pumping heart, the lymphatic system does not have a central pump. Lymph ducts have one-way gates in them so it all eventually returns back to your trunk, but it's easy for lymphatic fluid to accumulate in the extremities due to simple forces like gravity, compression from clothing, etc.

HTH!

[RoadRaven]

HTH!

????

HTH

????

[Thorn]

"Hit the Hurts"? "Hone the Hams"?

Well, "Hope that Helps"....

[alpinerabbit]

I can hardly imagine getting fluid buildup from a medium-length workout. Long runs, maybe. I get edemas from hiking or extended shopping orgies.

[Zen]

Hide the Hennessey

[hellostarshine]

Wow, thanks for the replies. That's really interesting!

[Geonz]

Next time I see people running around wtih rolling pins and talking about lymph goo, I'll know they're TE gals...

[SouthernBelle]

I've been using my grandmother's rolling pin for a while now. I have my mother's for baking situations.

[Zen]

Baking situations?
That's usually how it turns out when I try it too.

[Dianyla]

Baking situations?
That's usually how it turns out when I try it too.

Bwahahah!

Cooking is an art, baking is a science.

[Starfish]

I've been using my grandmother's rolling pin for a while now. I have my mother's for baking situations.

Baking situations?
That's usually how it turns out when I try it too.

LOL, isn't it always the grandmas who bake the perfect stuff? Maybe use your mother's for the lymph goo; maybe using your grandmother's will change the "situations" to actual baked goods!

[SouthernBelle]

actually I can make a decent biscuit from scratch. But bisquick is easier.

[cyclechick2008]

I totally agree to the lactic acid is a myth!!!!!!!!!!

Lactic acid is only present for about 45 seconds as you first start riding. After that you are in aerobic mode. You would have to be going superfast up supermountains to have a lot of lactic acid. Soreness is microscopic tears in the muscle tissue from overuse. That is how bodybuilders "bulk up". They make those tears in the muscle and as it heals they get bigger. Of course eating helps....

Kim

[Zen]

"The understanding now is that muscle cells convert glucose or glycogen to lactic acid. The lactic acid is taken up and used as a fuel by mitochondria, the energy factories in muscle cells.

Mitochondria even have a special transporter protein to move the substance into them, Dr. Brooks found. Intense training makes a difference, he said, because it can make double the mitochondrial mass. "

From a NY Times article by Gina Kolata